a prestigious private school in a leafier section of new york city. these two leaders have joined together to develop what they call character education. their message is character skills are crucial. they're just as important for kids from tough backgrounds as they are kids from well-off families. but fair warning to the kids and their parents who have been a part of the so-called trophy generation. this new movement might come as a big shock in a society that has valued self-esteem above all else. >> you can do it. >> you can do anything. >> one that's been perfectly skewered by snl. >> my self-esteem is through the roof because nobody has ever been honest with me about how mediocre i am. >> what if someone were to be honest with you? >> i would immediately cry. >> when i started teaching in the '90s, there was a sense that everyone had to be rewarded. where people didn't want kids to experience failure. when you enter the work world, it isn't all, you know, blue ribbons and it isn't all everyone is equal. >> and i think we as a country, as a world